At Devan Greenhouses, we not only measure our success by the production of high quality plants, but also by the way those plants are grown. Through travel, extensive research and communication with industry leaders, we have brought innovations to our greenhouse to make it as sustainable and environmentally-friendly as possible. Furthermore, we have implemented an Environmental Farm Plan in partnership with the B.C. Agriculture Council to enhance our environmental stewardship practices.
Devan Greenhouses recycles rain water for irrigating its crops. We collect the rainwater that runs off our greenhouse roof and use a sieve bend filter and multiple sand and disc filters to screen out impurities. Water that does not get absorbed by plants the first time around gets screened, filtered and re-adjusted by our computerized irrigation control system and then recycled back through the greenhouse. Therefore, there is no run off or waste of water or fertilizer. Recirculated water is run through an Aqua-Hort system that adds copper to the water, which not only acts as a nutrient for the plants but also helps sterilize the water by killing off waterborne fungus spores of Pythium, Phytopthora and Xanthomonas. Furthermore, we use ECA Technology to produce anolyte, which is an activated water solution more effective than typical chemicals in killing bacteria, fungus, algae and viruses. Anolyte is added to all the water we use throughout the greenhouse. ECA technology is an environmentally friendly, electrochemical process of running an electrical current through regular tap or well water with a bit of salt added. This electrolysis process produces anolyte. This technology was developed for water purification but is also used in the fields of health care and agriculture. In addition to anolyte, we add chlorine dioxide to our water system to further purify the water. A CLO2IX ion exchange catalytic method is used to produce chlorine dioxide, a simple gaseous compound that works like chlorine when dissolved in water. Its advantage over chlorine is that it can be used in lower concentrations (up to 20 times lower) to produce the same results and it leaves no residue on surfaces, does not impact the taste of the water and produces no undesirable byproducts. By using anolyte and chlorine dioxide in our water system, we keep all our water lines and filters clean, and it is also boosts the health of our crops without the negative impact associated with chemical usage. Conversion to these two non-chemical biocidal processes has allowed us to discontinue fungicidal drenches and the application of algae-killing chemicals.
Devan Greenhouses numbers among the few local floriculture growers that have switched to burning wood pellets for heating. The pellets are 100% natural and composed of waste wood. Wood pellets take a forestry byproduct that would otherwise be left to pollute the environment and converts it into an energy source. In fact, one that provides a non-polluting and efficient source of heat with minimal smoke emission and almost no ash/soot buildup. Efficiently burning wood is more environmentally friendly than burning fossil fuels, and wood pellets take it a step further since they emit far less carbon emissions than regular wood. In the spirit of the Kyoto accord, we are doing our part to reduce greenhouse gases by using wood pellets since they are carbon neutral and unlike fossil fuels, do no emit additional CO2 into the environment. We take care in what media we grow our plants in so that they perform better in the consumer’s garden. All of our planting media comes from Pindstrup, where we are provided with a high quality peat substrate that is harvested in pieces. Unlike a peat substrate that is vacuum harvested and reduced to little more than dust where perlite has to be added to provide proper drainage, Pindstrup peat blocks have a living structure with natural drainage. Moreover, we continually test our planting media to ensure it remains in optimal condition for growing our plants.
Our greenhouse was built to grow high performing garden plants. Plants are kept warm inside the greenhouse to promote growth in the initial stages, and when it is time to harden them off, our greenhouse roof can completely open, thereby simulating outdoor conditions. Therefore, our bedding plants are fully acclimatized to the outdoor climate and can be immediately planted outside. Our open roof greenhouse also drastically reduces our dependence on chemicals since we can manipulate our crops through environmental controls instead of chemical controls. Another way we environmentally control our crops is by using floor heating in our concrete floors and top heating. This allows us to start and harden off crops properly. Rather than heating the entire greenhouse, bottom heating allows us to channel the energy directly to the plant so that we can use less heat and use it more efficiently. Our boiler and heat distribution system modulates according to heating demands so that we only run the greenhouse as warm as it needs to be, instead of a less efficient on/off system.
We also harness solar energy and maximize its use through our Argus climate control computer program called SmartHeat. The program keeps track of the amount of solar energy trapped within the greenhouse and then reduces the amount of heat required by the wood pellet boiler during overcast, cloudy or rainy days. Since plant growth is correlated to average temperature, this system allows us to finish crops on schedule while maximizing the use of a natural resource and minimizing internal heating inputs. Similarly, our propagation zones are covered with plastic specialized in trapping the sun’s infrared rays, which is used to keep these growing zones warm at night. Again, this is another way we try to conserve energy. Rather than relying on heavy fertilization, we supplement our crops with CO2 to bolster the photosynthesis process, thereby boosting plant growth and health.
Fertilization is still necessary for growing high quality plants, and we choose to use Acadian Seaplant’s cold-processed kelp which is a natural bio-growth stimulant. The kelp is cold-processed to retain its nutritional integrity and then made into a spray for easy application. We use kelp fertilizer on all of our plants throughout their life cycle, starting from the moment they are stuck or seeded until the plants are finished and ready to ship. This natural fertilizer is loaded with carbohydrates, amino acids, micro- and macronutrients and various other organic compounds that aid plant growth. Currently we are planning an in-house composting facility so that we can take all biological waste from our greenhouse, pellet burner and animals and compost them for re-use. We also reduce our plastic waste by recycling all soft plastic (e.g. shrinkwrap) and hard plastic (e.g. pots and trays) whenever possible. These are just some of the ways Devan Greenhouses tries to grow more efficiently and environmentally friendly, and we will continue to innovate in our greenhouse as the future brings new and better ways of growing.